A handful of local Tennessee National Guard soldiers will leave for training Thursday morning before an eventual deployment to the Middle East.

Five members of the 105th Personnel Division of the Tennessee Army National Guard will first leave for training at a military base in New Jersey, said Army National Guard spokesman Niki Gentry.

A month later, they will begin a yearlong mission to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Those solders will perform administrative duties during their time overseas, Gentry said.

More than 28,000 soldiers with the Tennessee Army and Air National Guard have been deployed since Sept. 11, 2001, according to the Tennessee National Guard.

The five National Guard soldiers are not the only Tennesseans leaving for an overseas deployment this week. On Friday, more than 120 members of the National Guard based in Cleveland, Tenn., will also leave for training before being sent to Afghanistan as a police force.

When both the Nashville and Cleveland National Guard members are deployed, around 700 soldiers and airmen from Tennessee will be stationed overseas, Gentry said.

Reach Brian Wilson at 615-726-5970 and on Twitter @brianwilson17.

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